Car coupler



Dec. 18, 1928, 1,696,040

1 W. KELSO GAR COUPLER Filed Aug. 26, 1925 Patented Dec. 18, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM KELSO, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A SSIGNOR TO THE MCCONWAY &

TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

CAR COUPLER.

The invention relates to car couplers of the type in which a knuckle is rotatably mounted upon the coupler head by means of a pivot pin.

The primaryobject of the invention is to provide strong and simple means etficiently operating to relieve the pivot pin from pulling and buffing stresses when the coupler is in service.

The principal feature of the invention consists in providing the head and knuckle of a car coupler with pivot pin openings of such a character that the knuckle is adapted to move in the direction of length of the coupler as well as to rot-ate with respect to the head, and in forming the knuckle with a circularly curved pulling shoulder which is concentric with one of the openings through which the pivot pin passes, the coupler head being provided with a shoulder curved to conform to said pulling shoulder and adapted to cooperate with the latter when the knuckle is subjected to draft forces.

A further feature of the invention consists in mounting the knuckle upon the coupler head insuch manner that it may rotate and also slide longitudinally with respect to said head and in providing the knuckle with a circularly curved pulling shoulder and with a butting shoulder, the said shoulders being in spaced relation and the head being formed with a lug which when the knuckle is closed projects into the space between said shoulders and afi'ords an abutment for cooperating with the pulling and buffing shoulders of the knuckle when the coupler is in service.

Other features of the invention residing in advantageous forms of construction and relations of parts will hereinafter appear and be c pointed out in. the claims.

In the drawings showing a preferred (311% bodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a view, partly in plan and partly in horizontal section of a portion of a car coupler embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a view partly 11 section on the line 2-2, Figure 1 and partly in elevation,

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3, Figure 1, the pivot lugs or cars of the coupler head being in elevation.

In the drawings 1 indicates the coupler head or coupler body, 2 is the rotatable knuckle mountedthereon, 3 is the look by which the outward rotation of the knuckle is normally prevented and 4 is the knuckle opener. As the particular form oflock and the type of knuckle opener employed are not material to the present invention, only portions of these members have been'illustrated. These elements are however preferably of well known types, the lock 3 being a vertically sliding gravity actuated pin and the knuckle opener 4 being a pivoted bell crank lever.

The knuckle 2 is movably mounted upon the head 1 so as to be capable of sliding longitudinally of the coupler and also rotating with respect to said head. To permit these movements of the knuckle, the latter is connected to the coupler head 1 by means of a y pivot pin 5 extending through suitable openings in the connected parts, at least one of said openings being circular and the remainder being elongated in the direction of length of the coupler. As shown in the drawings the pivot pin hole 6 in the knuckle may advantageously be the elongated one while the pivotpin holes 7 in the ears or pivot lugs 8 of the coupler head may be circular.

The pivot pin 5 may be retained in assembled I position by means of a cotter 9;

On its upper side and preferably on its under side also, the tail of the knuckle 2 is formed with a circularly curved pulling shoulder 10, which, by cooperating with the correspondingly curved rear face 11 of an overlapping lug 12 integral with the coupler head, serves to-relieve the pivot pin 5 from strain when the knuckle is subjected to draft forces. The circularly curved pulling shoulders 10 of the knuckle and the correspondingly curved shoulders 110 f the coupler head with which said pulling shoulders cooperate are concentric with the circular pivot pin openings 7 when the knuckle is in closed position and is resisting pulling. In advance of the pulling shoulders 10 the knuckle 2 is provided'on' its upper and under side with bufling shoulders 13 which preferably are flat vertical surfaces disposed tangent to the cylindrical hub 14 of the knuckle and extending substantially transversely of the coupler when the parts are in locked position. WVhen the knuckle'is closed the pulling shoulders 10 and bufling shoul; ders 13 assume a position such that they are intersected by a radial line extending from the center of the circular pivot pin openings 7 toward the coupler lock 3, thus efiiciently opposing the resultant forces to which the knuckle is subjected in draft and bufiing.

The forward face of each of the lugs 12 is formed as a fiat vertically extending shoulder 15 for cooperating with the adjacent bailing shoulder 13 of the knuckle.

The pivot lugs or cars 8 of the coupler head are preferably stepped or recessed on their peripheral faces, as indicated at 16, so as to have overlapping cooperation with the curved lugs or flanges 17 projecting vertically from the opposite ends of the hub 14: of the knuckle. These flanges 17 by cooperating with the ears of the coupler head assist in relieving the knuckle pin 5 from transverse strain incident to draft forces. In advance of the knuckle pin opening the knuckle may advantageously he provided with oppositely extending circularly curved lugs or flanges 18 adapted to cooperate with the outer curved peripheral portions of the adjacent pivot ears 8 of the coupler head. The inner faces of these lugs 18 together with the faces of the knuckle 2 in vertical alincment therewith cooperate with the corresponding outer faces of the ears 8 of the head and thereby assist in relieving the pivot pin 5 of forces resulting from buffing action. here the lugs 18 overlap and n'ier 'e with the flanges 17 the former by cooperating with the pivot lugs 8 also serve to relieve the knuckle pin from transverse strains incident to service.

It will be perceived that the invention affords means for efficiently protecting the knuckle pin of a car coupler against undue strains incidentto draft and butting and that the form andrelation of the pulling and butting shoulders together with the manner of mounting the knuckle upon the coupler head insure extended contact of the pulling and bufling shoulders of the knuckle with the corresponding shoulders of the head and thereby effect distribution of the draft and butting shocks throughout a relatively large mass of metal.

I claim 1. A car coupler involving a coupler head, a knuckle, a. lock for said knuckle, and a pivot pin for movably connecting said head and knuckle, said head and knuckle having openings for receiving said pivot pin, at least one of said openings being circular, said knuckle being adapted to move in the direction of length of the coupler as well as to rotate with respect to said head, said knuckle being pruvidcd with a circularly curved pulling shoulder concentric with said circular opening when the knuckle is in closed position and also being provided witha butting shoulder, said head being provided with a shoulder curved to conform to said pulling shoulder and adapted to cooperate with the latter when the knuckle is subjected to draft forces, and sa'idhead also being provided with a shoulder conforming to said butting shoulder and adapted to cooperate therewith when the knuckle is subjected to buffing forces, said pulling and bufiing shoulders of the knuckle being spaced from each other and being intersected by a radial line extending from the center of said circular opening toward the knuckle engaging face of said lock when the parts are in coupled relation.

2. A :11' coupler involving a coupler head, a knuckle, and a pivot pin for monthly connecting said head and kn ucklc, said head and knuckle having openings for receiving said pivot pin, at least one of said openings being circular. said knuckle lacing adapted to move longitudinally of the coupler as well as to rotate with respect to said head, said kn ucklc being provided with a circularly curved pulling shoulder concentric with said circular opening when the knuckle is in closed posi tion and also being provided with a butfiugr shoulder having a flattened portion, said head having a shoulder curved to conform to said pulling shoulder and adapted to cooperate with the latter when the knuckle is subjected to draft forces, and said head also having a shoulder conforming to said buffing shoulder and adapted to cooperate therewith when the knuckle is subjected to buffing forces, said bufling shoulder being located between said pulling shoulder and said pivot pin.

3. A car coupler involving a coupler head, a knuckle, a pivot pin for movably connecting said head and knuckle, said head and knuckle having openings for receiving said pivot pin, at least one of said openings being circular,

said knuckle being adapted to move longitudinally of the coupler as well as to rotate with respect to said head, said knuckle being provided with' a circularly curved pulling shoulder concentric with said circular opening when the knuckle is in closed position and also having a butting shoulder provided with a portion extending substantially transverse to the lrmgitudinal axis of the coupler, said head being provided with a shoulder curved to conform to said pulling shoulder and ada ptcd to cooperate with the latter when the knuckle is subjected to draft forces, and said head also being provided with a shoulder conforming to said bufling shoulder and adapted to cooperate therewith when the knuckle is subjected to bufling forces.

4. A car coupler involving a coupler head, a knuckle, and a pivot pin for niovably connecting said head and knuckle, said head and knuckle having openings for receiving said pivot pin, at least one of said openings being circular, said knuckle being adapted to slide and rotate with respect to said head, said knuckle having a circularly curved pulling shoulder concentric with said circular opening when the knuckle is in closed position and also having a butting shoulder in advance of said pulling shoulder, and said head being provided to the rear of said pivot pin with a lug which is adapted to extend between and overlap said shoulders, therea'r face of said lug being curved to conform to said pulling shoulder and the forward face of said lug conforming to said bufiing shoulder and cooperating therewith to resist bufiing force.

5. A car coupler involving a coupler head, a knuckle, and a pivot pin for movably connecting said head and knuckle, said head being provided with ears having circular openings for receiving said pivot pin, said knuckle having an elongated opening for receiving said pivot pin, said knuckle being provided with a circularly curved pulling shoulder concentric with said circular openings when the knuckle is in closed position and also being provided with a bufiing shoulder in advance of said pulling shoulder, and said head being provided with a lug extending between said pulling and bufling shoulders of the knuckle, the rear face of said lug being curved to conform to said pulling shoulder and the forward face of said lugconforming to said bufiing shoulder and cooperating therewith to resist bufling force.

6. A car coupler involving a coupler head, a knuckle having a perforated hub and a tail extending rearwardly from said hub, and a pivot pin formovably connecting said head and knuckle, the hub of said knuckle having an elongated opening for receiving said pivot pin, said knuckle being provided with a buffing shoulder having a portion tangent to said hub, and said head being provided with a shoulder conforming to said butting shoulder and adapted to cooperate with the latter when the knuckle is subjected to bufiing forces.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

, WILLIAM KELSO. 

